A study of nurses' knowledge and attitudes about sexuality in health care

This article discusses a questionnaire study carried out to investigate knowledge and attitudes towards sexuality among 50 trained nurses working in gynaecological and non-gynaecological wards in the U.K. Knowledge levels were low and attitudes were traditional, and the gynaecology nurses' scores showed them to be less knowledgeable and more conservative than other nurses. These findings match those of studies carried out in the U.S.A. in the 1970s. The implications of the study for nurse education are considered, bearing in mind some reservations concerning the research instruments used.